Identity, Culture, and Art

• Read
  • An interview with Tania Willard on Beat Nation, Indigenous curation and changing the world through art — Discover how Indigenous artists are reshaping cultural and political narratives through art.
  • Teaching “The Night Watchman” Through The Block’s Collection – Explores the intersection of art and storytelling through Louise Erdrich’s novel and the Block Museum’s art collection.

• Listen:
  • “Indigenous Artist to Artist: We Choose Power” (All My Relations Podcast) — Indigenous artists discuss their creative processes and the themes of self-determination.
  • “Celebrating Indigenous Visibility and Creativity with Jeffrey Gibson” (Beyond the Art Podcast) — Jeffrey Gibson reflects on his journey and the significance of visibility in Indigenous art.
• Make: Make: Create a piece inspired by Indigenous artistic traditions
  • Research: Investigate the cultural background and symbolism of your chosen inspiration.
  • Document:Track your creative process, from inspiration to final product. Consider what you're preserving through your choices.
  • Reflect: Write an artist statement describing your piece and its connection to Indigenous art.
  • Ask yourself: What story does your work tell? What might be lost or preserved through your creative process?
• Explore: First American Art Magazine

 💬 Reflection Prompts:

• Cara Romero stages photographs that place Native people in contemporary and imagined scenes. Which expectations about Native imagery does her work turn on their head?
• What is the difference between being influenced by a culture and taking from it? Use your own response piece as the test case.
• James Johnson’s tunic was inspired by one taken from his village in 1902 and now held at the Field Museum. When a museum acquires the new work, what has changed, and what is still owed?

• Read:
  • Wandering Stars: A Novel, Tommy Orange — a riveting novel that details the Sand Creek Massacre and its repercussions across three generations
  • Explore the Library’s “Sacred Stories” resources on Indigenous literary voices: Sacred Stories Collection
• Watch/Listen: Tommy Orange in conversation with Kaveh Akbar — A discussion on Indigenous storytelling and identity.
• Listen:
  • “Telling True Stories in a Good Way” (All My Relations Podcast) — Insights on the ethical considerations of Indigenous storytelling.
  • “Stories from the Land” — A storytelling podcast rooted in connection to land and history.
• Experience:
  • Join a book club or group discussion on Indigenous literature.
  • Attend a storytelling event to experience traditional storytelling in a communal setting.

• Make: Book club in a box.

  1. Gather two to four people to read Wandering Stars. Borrow copies from Northwestern Libraries or your public library.
  2. Each person brings one passage and one question to the meeting.
  3. Close by agreeing on one thing the group will do with what it read.
  4. Optional: attend the UIC oral history launch and compare written and spoken storytelling.

 💬 Reflection Prompts:

• Wandering Stars follows one family from Sand Creek to the present. What does inherited harm look like on the page? What does inherited survival look like?
• Many Indigenous storytellers hold that some stories belong to certain seasons, places, or people. How does that change what you think a reader is entitled to?
• Which Indigenous authors were you assigned in school, and who made that decision?

• Watch:
  • Reel Injun (dir. Neil Diamond) — A documentary examining Hollywood’s portrayal of Native Americans.
  • “What Hollywood Gets Wrong About Native America” (A People’s History, PBS)
• Listen:
  • Media Indigena — A current affairs podcast with Indigenous perspectives.
  • “The Cuts With Sterlin Harjo” Podcast — Conversations on Indigenous media representation.
• Experience: Visit Mitchell Museum’s exhibit “No Rest: The Epidemic of Stolen Indigenous Women, Girls, and 2Spirits” to learn about social justice issues facing Indigenous communities.
• Make: Create a Collage or Digital Mood Board
  • Gather images of positive Native American representations in media.
  • Use a digital tool like Canva or a physical board to assemble your images.
  • Write a caption for each image explaining its significance.
  • Reflect: How might your collection function as a counter-archive? What patterns emerge when you curate these representations together?
• Explore: *Vision Maker Media, a leader in Indigenous storytelling for public broadcasting.*

 💬 Reflection Prompts:

• After Reel Injun, list three Hollywood images of Native people you absorbed before age 12. Where did each come from?
• What changes when Indigenous people are behind the camera, not just in front of it? Name one thing you saw this month that a non-Native director likely would not have made.
• “Positive representation” can become its own stereotype. What would complex representation look like instead?

• Read:
  • *Native Fashion Now: North American Indian Style,* Karen Kramer — An exploration of Native fashion’s evolution and cultural impact.
• Watch: Skindigenous — A documentary series highlighting Indigenous tattoo artists and traditional practices.
• Listen:
  • “Indigenous Fashion Innovation: Past, Present, Future” (Dressed: The History of Fashion Podcast)
  • “Inspiring Indigenous Fashion: Osamuskwasis Roan on Tradition, Innovation, and Empowerment” (Beyond The Art Podcast)

• Make: Buy direct, ask first.

  1. Visit an Indigenous artists’ market (Gichigamiin on November 25 or 28) or research one Native designer online.
  2. Learn how the maker describes their work and what they want buyers to know.
  3. If you buy, record the maker’s name and nation, not just the object.
  4. Compare with one mass-market “tribal” product and note who profits from each.

💬 Reflection Prompts:

• When does wearing something honor its maker, and when does it erase them? What role does the maker’s name play?
• Rock Your Mocs (November 15) invites Indigenous people worldwide to wear moccasins. Why might a day of visible Indigenous dress matter in a city like Chicago?
• Who profits from “tribal print” fashion? Trace one example back to its source.

• Read: *Indigenous Pop: Native American Music from Jazz to Hip Hop,* Jeff Berglund — Examines Indigenous influence across music genres.
• Listen:
  • “Exploring the Sonic Landscape of Identity, Culture, and Connection with KP of Black Belt Eagle Scout” (Beyond the Art Podcast)
  • “Revealing Indigenous Soundscapes: An Interview with Tony Enos” (Beyond the Art Podcast)
  • “Indigenous Influence on the Punk Music Scene” (Unreserved, CBC Radio)
• Make: Write a reflection on your personal rituals and traditions, considering their cultural significance.
  • Consider creating your own "sonic archive"—a playlist that documents music meaningful to you and your communities.

💬 Reflection Prompts:

• How do the musicians in these episodes move between tradition and genres like punk, rock, and hip hop? What stays constant?
• A performance at a museum happens in a building that also holds Indigenous ancestors’ belongings. How might that shape what the performance means?
• What music would your community lose if no one taught it to the next generation?

• Read:
  • Postcolonial Love Poem, Natalie Diaz — An exploration of love, land, and survival.
  • *New Poets of Native Nations,* Heid E. Erdrich
• Watch/Listen: Poetry readings from the Library of Congress's Native American Heritage Month series
• Listen: “Tommy Pico vs. Instinct” (VS the Podcast, The Poetry Foundation)
• Make: Write a poem responding to themes in Postcolonial Love Poem, reflecting on how colonization has influenced U.S. society.
  • Consider: How might poetry function as archival practice? What do you choose to remember, document, or imagine through your writing?
• Explore: “Native American Poetry and Culture,” a selection of poets, poems, and articles exploring the Native American experience

💬 Reflection Prompts:

• Natalie Diaz writes about the Colorado River as a relative. What changes in a poem, and in policy, when water is a relative rather than a resource?
• What can a poem do that a history book cannot?
• Read your erasure poem aloud. What did you choose to remove, and what did removing it reveal?